degrees at national airport. 32 at gaithersburg. 34 degrees at baltimore. and we've got 33 degrees at martinsberg. so it is pretty much chilly out there. bundle up if you are heading out. those winds are a factor as well. gusty winds. right now gusting from 18-32 miles per hour. and before the day is over, those winds could get even stronger, especially to our west. that's where we currently have a wind advisory in effect. winds expected to gust anywhere from about 45 to even 50 miles per hour here. and you're going to feel that in your car as you are drive sorg do be -- driving so do be careful. may see a stray cloud or two, but no shortage of sunshine in the forecast. we'll be up to only 39 degrees. it doesn't look h into the 40s. we were seasonal yesterday but cooler today. once again, the winds pushing in from the northwest. we'll have a look at your full forecast later and also the important holiday forecast. back to you, tony.

>> gwen, thank you very much. we're following breaking news from italy this morning. reports of package bombs going off at two embassies in rome. the latest to be hit, the chilean embassy. one person is believed to have been injured there. earlier today a staffer at the swiss embassy was hurt when they opened a package that exploded. we'll bring you more information once it becomes available into here at home, we are learning more about the firefighter shot in the district. >> the firefighter was off duty at the time. fox 5's audrey barnes is live outside of washington hospital center with the latest on his condition. audrey? >> reporter: tony, i've just found out that that officer was not only off duty but on leave since march. fire officials will not say why he's been on leave but he is on leave without pay since march. he's a 25-year-old who has been with the department for about six years. what we can tell but this incident, it happened at about 1:30 last night. the firefighter got involved in some kind of since dent, was

shot multiple times. sources tell us he drove here to the washington hospital center in a silver bmw with multiple bullet holes in the side of the car and that the firefighter had already been shot several times. he went into surgery overnight. we're told that he is now stable. at one point they believed he was critical but at this point they are telling us he is stable. no other information is being released at this time. but d.c. police have taken over as lead investigators in the case and we hope to know more as the morning goes on. allison and tony, back to you. >> audrey, thank you. a look at our other top story this is morning. greenbelt police are on the hunt for a shooter. a man was found shot in a vehicle on greenbelt road around 6:00 last night. investigators think he was shot on edmundton court and driven to greenbelt road. the victim is in critical condition. there is no word on a suspect but police say the shooting

does not appear to be random. maryland state police are investigating a terrible accident that killed a tractor- trailer driver. it happened last night on i-95 south near the exit for route 175. it's unclear exactly what caused the rig to go off the road. you can see from the video that the cab was destroyed. right now one left lane of southbound 95 remains closed just south of 175. students at the takoma educational center in northwest will have to be relocated after a fire severely damaged their school. the principal and nine other staff members got out satisfactorily. no students were inside the building. they were already on break. the cause is still under investigation. damage is estimated at $10 million. the relocation plan will be announced next week. d.c. mayor-elect vince gray named five new appointees to the city government. including two new members of the education team. but he did not name a new school chancellor. kiah henderson is filling in

temporarily and she's widely believed to have the inside track for the permanent job but gray points out that city law requires him to set up a panel of teachers, parents and students to advise him on a choice for new chancellor. another big story this morning, the lame duck session of congress comes to an end with a lot of activity. and some major legislative victories for president obama. this, even though it was just last month that the president was badly hurt by the self- described shellacking that democrats took at the polls. but december ushered in a spirit of cooperation and getting some work done. fox's doug mckelway has our report from capitol hill. >> reporter: the president is now off on his hawaiian vacation. both houses of congress have ended their 111th session. a lake duck session but in truth it was hardly lame. both houses waddled their way into historic victories passing pieces of legislation and

handing the president new vigor as we enter the new year. a newly-victorus president stepped off air force one in hawaii this morning, basking in the glow of victory -- victory. he signed the "don't ask, don't tell" legislation into law yesterday amid fanfare and marching music, a legislative exercise that was supposed to be killing time. but it was anything but that. >> harry reid has eaten our lunch. this has been a capitulation in two weeks of dramatic proportions. >> reporter: among the work hammered out from both ends of pennsylvania avenue in which many insiders thought it impossible to pass, a ready ratification of the start treaty -- start treaty. and a reduction of the bush era tax cuts and a 9/11 law for first responders. >> he had an unbelievable december. he came back in a way that was

quite stunning. i don't think it's a reversal of his decent. i think it was a restoration of a guy who had been shilacked in november. >> reporter: what surprised many is the victories occurred with the republicans flexing new-found muscle. >> if there is any lesson to draw from the last few weeks is that we are not doomed to endless gridlock. >> whether that spirit holds up with the next congress is a different matter. republicans will be controlling the house and they will be monitored very closely by a brand new political force in washington, the tea party, which is monitoring every move they are make and every dollar they spend. in washington, doug mckelway, fox news. triple-a says 90 million americans will travel over the christmas break and if you are one of them, chances are that you will hit challenging conditions out there from heavy rains and floods out west to the snow in the central part of the nation. severe weather from coast to coast will slow down holiday

travelers. and the snow that gwen is predicting for the day after christmas could throw a wrench into people traveling through the d.c. area. also gas prices are on the rise. the national average is now over $3. even higher at some gas stations across our area. wisdom martin has more. >> reporter: if you are driving to your holiday destination this year, prices at the pump may surprise you. triple-a said for the first time ever gas prices average around $3 per gallon during christmas. >> it's going to effect the way i go. if i don't have to go somewhere, if it's not important, i'm not going. just going to stay home. >> it shouldn't be that high. so it should go down some, i'm hoping that it goes down. >> reporter: this week the price of gas is 41 cents higher than this time last year. >> the demand and prices drop to the lowest level of the year in november and december and now we're paying 76% more for

gasoline than we paid two christmases ago. >> reporter: according to the triple-a fuel cost calculator, if you are traveling on the road in a regular four-door sedan from d.c. to new york round trip, 466 miles, the cost of travel would be about $77. a road trip to philly, 282 miles, would be $45. if you are searching for sun in orlando, 1694 miles, the cost is around $269. baltimore resident mohammed is driving to dallas, texas tonight with his wife and three kids. round trips that about 2706 miles. >> it will cost about $340 in gas. >> reporter: he said it's still cheaper than buying five plane tickets. >> it is what it is. you have to travel and buy things that you need, bottom line. i guess i'll just go to the dollar menu on the road. >> reporter: this man is traveling from raleigh, north carolina to westfield, new

jersey in an suv. >> 10 cents a gallon, it adds a couple of dollars every time you fill up. but it's not going to effect me too much, honestly. >> reporter: triple-a said the bad news is if the price is high now, it could get even worse when it gets warmer. >> if this is the floor, when the prices bounce back as they do in the springtime when demand is up by 5 or 6 or 7%, you can expect gas to be at the second highest level in history. >> the question i have is why are they so high? it is absurd. i paid $3.23 a gallon the other day. >> yeah, where i live, it's higher. >> it's criminal. >> yes. coming up, a scare for former president george w. brush. the crash landing on his front lawn that sent police and secret service agents scrambling into action. and when it comes to managing your health, you can't always rely on your memory. keeping track of doctor's appointments and medical history can be a daunting task

to coming up next we'll show you a quick and easy system that will help you sort it all out. 

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welcome back. it's 9:12. making headlines this morning. north korea said it's close to launching a sacred war and accuses the south of making tensions worst. the largest air and ground firing drill wrapped up this morning. south korea fighter jets dropped bombs and tanks fired artillery. the white house rejected the idea of negotiations, saying the north needs to change the threatening behavior first. a bit of a scare outside of the texas home of george w. bush last night. the secret service briefly detained a man after he crashed on to the former president's lawn. they let him go after questioning. security agents say the man was

visiting one of bush's neighbors. the lushes live in a gated community in north dallas. the family was home but they were never in danger and there is no damage to the house. a father and son fell through the ice while fishing in central illinois on tuesday. some other people fishing in the area rescued the father but couldn't get to his 15-year-old boy. divers eventually pulled the teen out about 30 minutes later and revived him. he initially survived through the night but died yesterday morning. thousands are in clean-up mode after more than a week of wild storms out west. southern california can get up to 2 feet of rain. the torrential downpours have flooded streets and highways and forced thousands of people out of homes. mudslides are also a major concern right now. california isn't the only western state getting hammered. heavy rains washed away homes in arizona and nevada is also getting hit hard. handling your health can be a complicated task. now there is a way to keep

track of doctors appointments, annual screening and medical history. and in case of emergency you can have all of the information you need right at your finger tips. grace bender is from infin isity. and tell us what it is and why you came up with my med manager? >> it is a spiral notebook for anyone on multiple medications. it is the fourth leading cause of death in the united states for the mismanagement of medications. this offers in here a chart and what is important about the chart is that you put the medication, you put the purpose and the amount. people frequently think i'm on 10 milligrams of this medication but you might be

taking it three times a day. in case of an emergency, you have -- in this, we give you a wallet-sized card. it is so critical. it can save your life. if you go on my website, mymedmanager.com, where you can purchase this, you can also hear testimonies of people who lives have been saved. it also has a section for all of your doctors and their phone numbers. the history of what operations, surgeries, illnesses. these are all important things for an emergency room to know if taken there. you know when you go to a new doctor, they always say, what medications are you on? it's very hard to remember everything. i go in with my list and they xerox it, make a copy and put it in the files and i'm telling you, even the largest hospitals in this city and in new york

have done this. and they keep it in the chart. electronic things are coming into use more and more. however, as you know, we have frequent storms in washington where we are out of electricity for days. >> definitely. >> so if you rely on just having it electronically on your computer, you can't access it. >> grace, it seems like such a simple thing to do? >> it is. and the other thing that is important, in here i give everyone a calendar. because for myself, i take the same medications every single day. but at 11:00 in the morning, i'm thinking, have i taken them? do i remember taking them yesterday or today? so here you put a check mark of a.m., i took it or what. in the case of my husband right now, he's on a medication that makes his ssure very high so i have to record his blood pressure every single day. he's on a different medication that every day there is a different dose. and how else would you know how

to do it? >> it's extremely complicated. >> yes. and we have, for newborns, a manager which is also important because the milestones are very important to know. >> definitely. >> this is how they determine if the child is progressing. and people travel a lot and move and the immunization chart is important to keep accurate and keep with you. and frequently i have adult friends that say i don't remember if -- when i had any last tetanus shot or something. so i encourage people not to rely just on your doctor's records because today we have so many specialists and i think you should have everything at your finger tips, you should show a family member where you keep this and keep the pocket card current. >> take control of your health? >> take control of your health

today. i love that. >> make it a new year's resolution. >> we'll link that information to our website, myfoxdc.com. and again the product is mymedmanager. manager. and it could save your life. thank you. it tops many christmas list this is year but is the ipad worth the hype? up next why a wall street journal columnist said he'll pass. and meantime it's down to the wire for holiday shopping but paul rafael is helping us out. paul? >> reporter: time is ticking with only two days left until christmas and you might not have all of your gifts just yet so we're here at the container store in northwest d.c. where we'll get ideas for last-minute gifts. and now the store is open, they are putting me to work. stay with us. >> paul, thank you very much. before we head to break here is

today's trivia question. rudolph the red nosed reindeer was created as a promotion for what department store? was it jcpenny, montgomery ward, macy's or nordstrom? you can take a guess by heading to the facebook page. stay with us. fox 5 morning news will be right back. it's coming up on 9:20 right now. 

technical problems crashed skype yesterday. millions of skype users worldwide had trouble logging on and making calls. skype said it is working to fix the problem and it may take futures like group video calling lock -- longer to restore. there is still buzz about the apple ipad but no everybody is sold on it. they unveiled the ipad in january and became the talk of the nation. apple sold more than 7 million units in the first two quarters

of availability. the ipad is a hot item for christmas. wall street columnist brett aarons joined us via skype this morning to talk about why he doesn't want an ipad just yet. >> it will be cheaper next year and better next year. we know they're coming out with a new ipad in the spring and there is rumors about what it will look like. and that means this year's model will be cheaperment and we'll have competitors come out and companies coming out with the android model. now it's kind of -- it's great for apple that they've got the ipad out this christmas and all of their competitors are way behind and they won't come out until next year. that's great for apple. but if i'm a consumer i say why don't i wait until i have a wider choice. >> if you didn't see that segment this morning, the whole thing is on our website, myfoxdc.com. check it out. he was very engaging and had some good points. >> he's good.

and tis the season for procrastination but some shoppers got last-minute advice at warp speed. listen. >> tysons corner center invited a professional fast talker to give gift ideas for shoppers struggling to think of the perfect gift. >> banana republic,bb messenger pack. barnes and noble, driving gloves. >> tysons has created a procrastination station. so we've pulled retailers and we've asked them what the hottest gift ideas are for this season. the last-minute gift ideas where they still have inventory and we've put them out in the common area. >> lord and taylor express -- >> give me a couple ofoy yeahs and -- of a couple ideas and now we'll shop. >> procraft inators don't know -- procrastinators don't know what they want to we shop.

>> looking for a gift for dad. we didn't have time to shop before. >> well before you grab that last-minute gift, you may want to head over to myfoxdc.com. we have more information about hott lists and sales and -- about hot lists and sales. just go to myfoxdc.com. i found myself picking up speech just now. kate middleton has reason to be horrified. we'll tell you about a peopletive coin of kate and her -- a commemorative coin of kate and her beau. and some excellent deals that will have you ringing in the new year with extra cash in your pocket. but first a holiday greeting from our troops. >> hi. my name is martha chaplin. i'm stationed here in germ abby. i i like to say merry christmas and holly holidays to my family

in fredericksberg in virginia. merry christmas, mom and dad and glenda. hoppy holidays. ...buttery and flaky... this is half. that is not half. guys i have more. [ female announcer ] do you have enough crescents? with cinnabon cinnamon have such a sweet and delicious aroma that my family can't wait to get their hands on them. enjoy cinnabon cinnamon... now in all pillsbury cinnamon rolls.

ice breakers mints with icy-cool flavor crystals. ice breakers. stay cool.

[ music ] >> the crosswalk in north london that was made famous by the beatles has been named a night of national importance by the british government. it cannot be altered without approval from local authorities. every year thousands flock to the crossing to mimic the cover shot for the 1969 album abby road. >> i think it's exciting news. it's something that is going to excite beatles fans because for many years, since 1969 i guess, they've been coming not to just see abby road but in adiscussion with -- but hopefully taking your

photograph taken at where it was taken in 1969. >> i believe the local drivers get very irritated because they have to slow down for people. i've done it myself. the nearby abby road studios were listed as a heritage site in february. >> let's stick with news across the pond. the royal mint has released a commemorative coin featuring what is supposed to be life- like portraits of prince william and his bride to be kate middleton. [ laughter ] >> critics are slamming the coin saying it doesn't look like them. middleton appears plump in the face and bags under her eyes. especially one eye. some say william looks like al gore. i would agree. the coin comes in silver and gold. >> who did this? >> it is worth $7.70 in u.s. currency. the queen looks good. >> it will be worth more once they pull it and issue a new

one. maybe they want it to last forever and they say this is what they look like in 20 years. >> but who wants that? they want to be now when they are young and all -- >> literally, that looks nothing like kate middleton. >> what does it look like? let's think about it. it looks like sissy spacek. >> on a bad day. >> and it does look like al gore. >> that is funny. that is bad. >> oh, boy. >> it will become a collector's item. >> especially if they pull it. if they say this is terrible. >> now will people in canada be clamoring for it? >> you know. queen is on all of the canadian coins. ' some does -- and she does look great. >> she wears well. well dress warm because it is cold outside. it is down right nippy as i like to say. bundle up heading out. 36 degrees in the nation's

capital. we have 33 degrees in annapolis. 34 at gaithersburg. 30 at hager town. 33 degrees at martinsberg. it is a very chilly day outside. and the winds are a major issue. and you'll feel it in your car because those winds are strong and gusting from the northwest. so actually making it feel even colder, we have windchills -- 24 at dulles, 28 at gaithersburg. we have 29 at fredericksberg, 30 at winchester. so definitely windchills. and there is a wind advisory in effect for areas to the west. gusting from 45-50 miles per hour over there. and that's until 6:00 this evening. now sky conditions, clear over our region but take a look to the west. here is this major weather- maker we keep talking about. all kinds of rain brought to the west coast. that will start to push it's way toward the east and could become -- could become our snow- maker as we move through into the christmas period. now we're watching it very closely. will we get snow on christmas day or will we not? the million dollar question. it looks like it's slowed down

but i want to rule it out 100%. we have a couple of models not in disagreement. here is one model showing if the system stays more out to sea and kind of moves across the south, it looks like more snow to the south and to the east of the d.c. region. however, model number two is in total disagreement with that and is showing a lot more snowfall and hugging to the coast with this system could bring us heavy snow along the 95 corridor. so a little ways out. so it does bear watching and that's what we'll do, keep a close on it for you so that we can pin this down eventually. in the meantime, the question is will we see any snow on christmas or will it hold off as its models are suggesting, which is for the sunday-monday period. right now sunshine for christmas day. 36 to 38 degrees. here is a look at your five-day forecast. temperatures sticking around in the 30s all week. we're not warming up at all much past that. so below seasonal. and as you can see, your overnight lows into the 20s as well. so whatever happens, just make

sure you dress warm. you will have to. let's check in with allison now. well it is getting down to the wire. please change the prompter soy don't -- so i don't have to read my script. still deals available for you and your friends. now is the time to book your winter and spring getaways for next year. joining us this morning, loose inda anderson who specialized in tracking travel deals. you are named perfectly to be the socialite that will give us good deals. good morning. >> good morning, allison. my theory is that everyone needs a vacation and it doesn't have to be a pricey situation where you can't go when you want. so i would love to talk about some new year's eve deals and january getaways. >> and you're starting close to home with interest green resort. >> it is a four-season resort. it has something for you to do in spring but winter is the highlight. the skiing, the snow tubing, all of this kinthing is

great for families, great for romance. a little snuggling after the snow is fun. i want to highlight winter green because they have a fantastic new year's eve package, as many people do, but they didn't forget about the kids. >> excellent. tell us about it. >> so winter green has new year's eve parties for the children from age 4 all the way up to teen. >> now that's different. >> it is very different. >> i like that. >> they're teamed an age- appropriate and they take care of the kids all night. so while mom and dad and maybe grandma is shaking a leg, the kids are too. >> that's great. >> and then if you miss new year's eve, they have buy one get one free on january 1st. >> so they're getting you in there. >> they are. for the whole weekend. >> and you have ideas on cruises. tell us about it. >> allison, i went on a fabulous cruise in november called msc. now msc is a newer entry into the cruise arena for the united

states. they've been very active in europe and the mediterranean. they are brand new ships. very technologically savvy ships. everything is brand new. here is the great thing about msc. unheard of -- kids sail free. >> that is unheard of. >> very much so. you do pay taxes and port charges, but whether you have one child or bringing five, they sail free. and then for the winter -- >> did you hear what she said, folks? that's huge. >> bring the whole clan. instead of having family at home, let someone else do the cooking and do it at sea. >> and can you leave from baltimore or for noke? >> msc has one ship called msc polissia and it leaves from ft. lauderdale, florida and they have buy one sailing get the second one free. >> and i missed, carnival cruises? >> the fun ship. when you go on a cruise, you want a little bit of party, a

little bit of relaxation. i've never had a bad time on carnival. they do sail from baltimore. i sailed on both of their ships, pride and miracle from baltimore, there is no better feeling than to drive up the beltway, get out of your car and on the ship. >> we have about a minute left and i want to talk about the set-up here. >> well if you are frugal and spontaneous, meaning you don't have a plan and it's january -- i'm sorry, it's december 29th or 30th, what about the frugal party? there is a new company on the scene called cup cake drop- off.com and instead of you having to park and wait in long lines, they let you open the door and bring you these scrumptious goodies here. >> that's smart, with all of the lines. and does it go well with champagne? >> champagne, cupcakes, shrimp and cheese is the new trend on

parties. i've been to several of those. low budget and everyone is happy and upscale. and if you want to find out about the frugal deal running with cup cake drop-off.com or how to book the vacations, look at me on frugal socialite.com. >> and we'll link all of that information. thank you. the happiest of holidays to you. hope to see you in the new year. >> cruising and kids go free. i'm writing that down. thank you very much. coming up, we have an update to the accident you might have heard about that occurred during a big broadway show. an actor wearing a spider-man suit came crashing on to the stage. we'll have an update on his condition and the future of the troubled production. and a pet monkey on the loose. a game of catch me if you can that took a dangerous turn. we'll tell you how it ended. [ music ] before we go to break, here is another look at today's

trivia question. rudolph was created as a promotion for what department store? jcpenny, montgomery ward, macy's or nordstrom? take a guess by heading to our facebook page. stay with us. we'll be right back.  set your pace to island time. rich chocolate over creamy coconut. almond joy and mounds. enjoy more.

making headlines, the spider-man broadway musical will resume today after yesterday's sold-out performances were canceled because of an actor getting injured on the set. take a look of the workers spent the day putting in new safety harnesses to prevent another accident like the one that happened on monday. a stunt man playing spiderman fell 30 feet into a stage pit when his harness broke. he underwent back surgery after the fall. a monkey is on the loose in south florida. someone's pet monkey escaped on tuesday night and then broke into a neighborhood's home and bit him on his ear when he was eating dinner. the man was hospitalized.

he's expected to be okay though. animal control was able to lure the monkey in, and this sounds like a joke, but they used a banana. the owner was away when the monkey escaped. really? come on. robots taking over the world one restaurant at a time. check out this eatery in china where robots have taken the place of servers. they are able to glide around the restaurant serving food and drinks to patrons. the robots are designed with sensors that prevent them from crashing into things. special magnets on tables make sure they stop at the right spot. the restaurant has only six humans on the staff. most of whom work in the kitchens since the robots aren't designed to cook. why do i get the news of the absurd? what is happening? just two days until christmas. some are totally done with everything. some are just starting the wrapping. others haven't started a thing. up next, we'll check in with paul rafael for last-minute gift ideas. and if you are looking to

plan the perfect holiday bash, our garden expert is here with creative ideas that are sure to impress. after all he is derek. stay with us. we're back in a moment. 

it is great to get invitations to holiday parties unless your fresh out of ideas about who to take as a host or hostess gift. even if you didn't have a lot of cash after getting gifts for everybody on your list, there are create ways to come up with small gifts to take to the unexpected get-together. derek thomas with thomas landscapes joins us with greet ideas. he's previewed these for me. this is great stuff. >> it's that time of year where everybody gets frantic. today and tomorrow the malls will be a zoo. and you get invited to the unexpected party, what are you going to do? these are great ideas.

first of all, poinsettias and holiday plants are going to be discounted. places are running 50% off. this is a rose party tony airy. if you have a gardener on your unexpected invite list, this rosemary will grow out in their garden. it is already decked out and it was 50% off at a local garden center. this is a great idea. it's lava rock with a plant growing out of it and it's under $20. that one is available at ed's plant world but johnson's has a similar take on that. now what to do with the poinsettia so it looks like you took time putting it together. so what i'm going to do here, this is some of the garland. if you can't find it at the store, take it off what you have wrapped around your front door and put garland in there and take these ornaments. these came off of the tree.

and in about less than 30 seconds, we have a really nice dressed-up poinsettia you can take. and now another gift idea. this is a bucket that i got from home depot for $2. i got the plants for $2 a piece. i've put some tissue paper in there, these little plants will go right inside there. we'll take a little bit of moss, they have selling in their garden center. and once again a couple of ornaments and suddenly you have a great holiday gift. >> especially if you know someone who likes gardening, they will love this stuff. even if they don't, it's a decoration. >> at least for the moment. now this is another gift idea. this was a bowl on clearance, regularly $2.99 and on clearance for $1.50 and this is an air plant. you can get that at johnson's put it in there and it looks like you took a lot of time or someone else took a lot of time

putting together a great gift for you. now, re-gifting. >> you are all for it? >> look, you're going to get the last-minute phone call for somebody you may or may not want to go to their party or their christmas afternoon or got to run by grandma and know she'll be in her cups, here is a great idea. what are we doing with our door wreath after the holiday. >> let's take it off the door on the way out for christmas. if you want to be a little bit -- so you don't feel too bad about it, i'll change the bow out on this one. >> that's nice. >> so we put together a nice little custom bow. >> and you have extra bows from the gift wrapping or unwrapping gifts. >> yes. so once again you are going green. and teams have been cold enough that wreaths are still nice and fresh. so you are taking someone a good gift. >> i would say change the bow, especially if they've come to your house and seen it. >> if they've come to the house and seen it before. now here is a great idea because everyone wants to give you something to drink and this

does tie into the garden section because the grapes came from the earth. what i've done here, instead of using the old and little wine bag, i've taken some mistletoe, glued it on to the bottle and this is a necklace that actually has batteries so it lights up. so you walk in and suddenly you are the host with the most. >> we have to wrap it here. but here is the great thing about it. it's a little after it, but you did put some effort into it. so that's great and important. merry compass to you. thank you for coming by. >> merry christmas, tony. >> merry christmas, derek. thanks, tony. it is crunch time to get the gifts wrapped. paul rafy'll is having fun at the container store where they have giving him last-minute gift ideas and putting him to work too. >> reporter: i'm having a lot of fun. but the store is now open so they are actually -- me put -- they put me to work and we are trying to help customers like

this lady right here. how do we greet the customer? >> we say what brings you to the store today? >> well i'm looking for something for my mom and she loves craftingch and she gets bored in the house. >> reporter: i'm going with the pocket -- tell me what it is. >> it is word search book to take. you might want to look at the precision cutter. >> is she going to cut her finger on that? >> it's a ceramic blade so it's safe for adults and children as well who are doing crafts. >> reporter: this is my favorite one here. the ali-gator. and fishes stuff out of the garbage disposal. >> or behind the seats of your car. >> reporter: and we have a perfect display of other gifts to talk about, all last-minute gifts. and tell me about the different categories. >> everybody has their laptops and always you get the little

stuff in between the keyboards. so this is the 100% biodegradable cyber clean. >> kids -- might like to play with it. >> and you press it into the keyboard and it up bacteria or dust. and it lasts about six months so it's a long-term investment. >> reporter: and we have stuff for food and drinks and then talk about this. >> the van gogh painting gift. it's paint by numbers and allows anybody to go in the lines and blend their own paints and make a beautiful picture. it's a wonderful gift. >> that's good for kids or adults. can't paint it all. >> you got off to a good start. >> reporter: and we have the fun post-its. >> they look like apples and pears and great teacher gift ideas. >> instead of a real apple, something that won't rot on their desks. >> and this year what is popular is the monster fun bowl and spoon which is great for

cereal and ice cream. >> reporter: thank you for having us. tony and allison, i picked up gifts for you guys. tony i know you're a huge histic guy so i have the mini ipod dock. it resembles a lego. and allison, always rocking the accessories, so i got you an organizer of grace let -- of bracelets. >> that's fantastic. now don't come back here without it, paul. >> reporter: we have the smallest umbrella ever for the weather woman. >> that's very cute. >> very nice. we'll expect these gifts when you get back. thank you, paul. >> reporter: and we have a link on myfoxdc.com to their website for more gift ideas, wrapping instructions and all of that fun stuff. >> one-stop shopping. thank you, paul rafael. keep it here. we have the answer to our trivia question coming up next. it's 9:55. 

welcome back. time now for the answer to

today's trivia question. rudolph was created as a promotion for what department store? the answer is montgomery ward. a writer was hired back in 1939, his job was to come up with a christmas story that could be given away to holiday shoppers. the writer's brother-in-law liked the story so much he decided to write a song to go with it. it was eventually recorded in 1949 by gene autry and has since become a christmas classic and a tv show and everything. by the way, the smithsonian now has the original book but it is not currently on display. >> great. that's a great version. we want to announce our facebook fan of the day. her nam is kasana mosby. >> hello. >> she writes, i would love to be fan of the day. i get up every morning and can't get ready until i hear traffic and weath f